September 10, 2000, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Abu ambushes Abu: 3 killed, 25 wounded,

NO NEED for the government to exercise its military option and attack the Abu Sayyaf. The extremist rebels are killing each other, apparently over ransom payments for their hostages. Yesterday, members of a faction of the Abu Sayyaf rained gunfire on government emissaries and Abu Sayyaf leaders to prevent them from taking away European hostages from a jungle camp in Sulu, according to survivors of the deadly ambush. 

Three unidentified Abu Sayyaf bodyguards of the emissaries were killed, five other bodyguards were wounded and about 20 local people sustained injuries in the crossfire, government negotiators and local officials said. Chief government negotiator Roberto Aventajado said his emissaries Ernesto "Dragon" Pacuno and Salim "Dragonito" Jumaani were ambushed by a faction of Abu Sayyaf gunmen while en route to the village of Bandang for the handover of the hostages. 

The government emissaries and Abu Sayyaf leaders Galib Andang, alias Commander Robot, and Mujib Susukan were driving toward Bandang when "all of a sudden a group of men blocked our path" in Sitio Tambis, Dali, Talipao town, Jumaani said on ABS-CBN television. As the convoy slowed down at the roadblock, a storm of bullets rained on them. One of the unidentified dead was Dragon's civilian guide. 

"The go-betweens were being escorted by Galib 'Robot' Andang, the leader of the rebel faction holding the hostages, when they were attacked by another guerrilla faction," Aventajado said. The attack occurred about 5 kilometers from where the hostages were being held, military reports said. Sulu Vice Gov. Munib Estino earlier said that Susukan was killed in the ambush, according to Agence France Presse. It was later learned that he was only slightly injured in the right hand. 

Dragon denied the reports that Andang and Susukan were killed in the ambush. "Mujib (Susukan) suffered only a few scratches," he said. Susukan and Andang are the key leaders of the Abu Sayyaf who have been negotiating with Aventajado over the release of the group's captives since the hostage crisis began on April 23. Another government negotiators, Dr. Parouk Hussin, who went to the regional hospital to visit the civilians wounded in the gun battle, said that when the convoy of the emissaries passed by, there were about a hundred Abu Sayyaf gunmen gathered by the roadside. 

"It really started when a gun accidentally went off," Hussin said. "The others started firing. There was already tension before that." Shots continued for several hours after the start of the attack, residents and local officials said. Three military helicopters were dispatched from a military base in Jolo to rescue the government emissaries caught in the ambush, Aventajado told reporters. 

The attack delayed the handover of two Finns, a German and a Frenchman, who had to be plucked out of the Abu Sayyaf camp by military helicopters together with the emissaries. The go-betweens were carrying a new satellite phone for Andang to replace one that the rebel leader broke in a fit of anger Friday, said a member of the negotiating panel said. The go-betweens used the phone to contact Aventajado after the ambush. 

Cheated out of ransom share 

The Abu Sayyaf faction, said to be led by a Commander Nandih Murhaji, allegedly staged the ambush over ransom payment. A source who visited the Robot faction's camp said Commander Nandih attacked Robot's group on suspicion that the latter had cheated him out of his fair share of the ransom the Abu Sayyaf was supposed to have received. 

Nandih is believed to have about 20 men under his command. Officials have reported growing tensions within the Abu Sayyaf over the sharing of millions of dollars in ransom they have reportedly received for previous hostage releases. Government negotiators identified Nandih's boss as Abu Sabar, who made his move because he felt he had been cheated out of supposed ransom payments. 

Sabar's group holds two French journalists, abducted in July, who remained stranded in the other Abu Sayyaf faction's camp after the shootout. Negotiators have openly expressed fears for the safety of the two journalists.